jalapeño

Pico de Gallo Recipe (+15 More Salsas That Are Dip-alicious)

Made with fresh plum tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and a squeeze of lime, this pico de gallo recipe is unbeatable. Serve it with chips or atop any Mexican food.

“Hi there, Heidi! I’m on the hunt for a yummy salsa to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with. Any recipe recommendations you could share with me? :)” ~Cynthia P.

I was actually debating whether to roll out this pico de gallo recipe on Cinco de Mayo or save it for summer break. I’ve been on Cinco de Taco olé overload these past few weeks and figured you have too. But after I received this request, I realized my spiced up work is not done.

How can I deny readers when they make a request?

And so, I’m not giving you just one recipe, but this pico recipe plus 15 more links to get your dipping party started in mere minutes after chopping.

What is Pico de Gallo?

Who’d you rather chip? Pico de gallo or salsa? This blender salsa recipe is my hands down FAVORITE and reminiscent of what you’ll find at your favorite Mexican joint. It’s a salsa. Not a pico de gallo.

What’s the diff? Both feature onions, jalapeño, lime juice and cilantro. The difference is that traditional salsa uses canned tomatoes while pico de gallo features fresh chopped tomatoes.

continue to the recipe… about Pico de Gallo Recipe (+15 More Salsas That Are Dip-alicious)

Mango Salsa Recipe

Fresh mango and strawberries mix with avocado, cilantro, red onion and jalapeño in this easy to make, zesty mango salsa that’s sweetened with lime and honey.

My chicken breasts were crying out for help. “Ka-kah! Help me! Just salt and pepper makes me b-o-r-i-n-g”

Because who craves boring chicken? Me? You? Hardly.

“Wait! I have that mango salsa recipe that would be the perfect topper. Let me go to the bloggity blog and find the recipe!”

Actually, that was me “asking” my husband to go to the blog and find it. And he couldn’t.

“But I know it’s there.” And it was. But not in plain sight. You guys may think that food bloggers have each and every recipe we’ve created formatted directly into our brains like the hard drives of our computers. That, my friends, is a fallacy.

The more likely scenario is that because we’re always dreaming of recipes akin to sugar plums dancing through our heads that we can’t remember a dad gum thing.continue to the recipe… about Mango Salsa Recipe

Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

This easy Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice dinner has just the right amount of spice from jalapeño and ginger to flavor this creamy coconut sauce for a simple all-in-on meal.

Thai Comfort Food: Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

“Make it with extra sauce!” my husband always says.

Those are the words I hear ringing in my ears every time I cook any of my Thai recipes made with coconut milk like Shrimp in Thai Coconut Sauce or Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup. He’s a saucy kind of guy and simply can’t get enough of the Thai flavor-infused coconut flavors. And since every month those two recipes are in the top 10 recipes readers make from my site, it’s obvious you love them too.

The sauce is one reason why this creamy ginger and coconut chicken recipe has been a favorite of ours literally for years. I originally tore it out of a 2006 issue of Real Simple magazine, and like any magazine addict who also has a penchant for ~~saving~~ hoarding, I’ve kept it all these years.

The recipe page is now a little kitchen war-torn and splattered so it was high time to add it to the blog so I could refer to it more easily. See, this blog isn’t just a place for me to make recipes for you, it’s a place for me to keep track of my many favorites.

And hopefully like this Thai chicken recipe, you’ll love ’em and make them all as much too.continue to the recipe… about Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This Mexican-flavored chicken soup is truly chicken soup for the soul, with a warm broth filled with chunky bites of black beans, sweet corn, shredded chicken and tomatoes topped with its namesake tortilla strips and a surprise crispy jalapeño topper.

This recipe is brought to you by French’s

“Honey, what should we have for dinner?”

Gah. The question to end all questions, and the same one that comes up day after day, week after week. But over the years I’ve developed a strategy that serves the family’s cravings and makes dinner prep so much easier, just about every time.

I narrow the choices to get the answer I want.

“Well, I prepped a batch of chicken breasts for the week (even though he prefers steak, we gotta use those chicks up!) and a I have our yummy chicken stock in the freezer (because I’m on a clean-out-the-freezer mission.) So, are you craving comfort food flavors (we all love our Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) or maybe something with Mexican flavor and spice? You love Mexican…”, I steer him, already knowing that spices and ethnic flavors win at our house every time.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Chorizo Queso Dip with Beer and Chiles (Try It Over Fries!)

This spiced up queso cheese dip skips the fake stuff and is made with real cheese instead. Chorizo and chiles add the heat that’s then cooled down with every football lovers favorite flavoring: BEER! Serve it with chips or even better, pile it on french fries for a riff on the classic poutine.

This post is brought to you by Kroger

Football season has it’s signature trigger words ending in -ING: Passing. Scoring. Tailgating.Watching. Cheering. Drinking and eating.

But for this foodie, my favorite action word ending in -ING has been and always will be GRAZING.

At this stage in life’s game I’m miles away from being an arm-chair quarterback when it comes to tailgate snacking. Listen guys, I’m a pro. For me, it’s all about getting in the game and grazing on a little bit of this and some more of that, and bites of all of the shareable eats game days are known for.

So whether it’s a high school play-off, college rivalry, or the Super Bowl, this girl is ready to go the distance.

One of the most popular recipes to make around game day is a cheesy queso dip, and while I typically like to eat healthy, when it comes to tailgating, all bets are off, but I still want to eat real food.

Too many of the recipes I’ve seen use pasteurized cheese to achieve that creamy texture so that’s why I set out to make one that’s creamy, but still real, and loaded with flavor.

continue to the recipe… about Chorizo Queso Dip with Beer and Chiles (Try It Over Fries!)

Chunky Citrus Guacamole

Chunky with a citrus-ey accent or both lime and orange juice plus a hit of spice and just enough girth to make any chip happy, it’s the perfect combo to welcome some spring weather with a few salty corn chips and a nice cold beverage.

If it weren’t for guacamole serving as my avocado gateway, the jury is out on whether I would ever have become an avocado fan. Now, they’re one of my favorite things to eat, so how could it be there was a time I didn’t like them?

Just like artichokes, it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I finally gave in to even trying avocados. I have no idea where my aversion stemmed from. Maybe I just had an aversion to fruits and veggies that started with the letter A?

There are as many guacamole recipes out there in the world as there are stars in the sky and we all have our favorite, and this chunky homemade version is mine.

My husband came up with this guacamole recipe years ago and it was one of the first recipes I published here on the blog when I announced the first issue of FoodieCrush magazine along with some of my favorite things. But after making this guacamole time and time again, my photos and this post were in need of an update.continue to the recipe… about Chunky Citrus Guacamole

Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad

This simple tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad gets a spicy Mexican-flavor kick from jalapeños and a fresh lime and chile dressing that makes it a terrific side dish for any meal.

I’m not a chef. I’m a home cook. But many of my recipes are inspired by dishes I’ve enjoyed that were created by real life chefs. It’s one of my favorite reasons for eating out, to get new inspiration for le bloggity blog.

I had a rendition of this simple tomato salad at a restaurant called Monkeypod Kitchen while vacationing in Maui. A friend of mine who lived in Maui for a time messaged me while we were there that we MUST make it a point to eat at Monkeypod, it was one of her favorites.

Friend recommendations are always the best.

The menu was full of delicious, fresh fare, and being the tomato caprese salad lover that I am, once I spied this salad with a flavorful twist on their menu, I was immediately intrigued. continue to the recipe… about Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This grilled cheese is like everyone’s favorite jalapeño poppers melted between two slices of bread for the ultimate gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

It’s finally here and if you’re at all like me, you’ve been patiently waiting like a toddler patiently waits for his or her turn behind 8 other kids for a ride on the slide, or to be told to wait until after lunch for that popsicle. Tantrums, tears and frustration may or may have not all played a part in this waiting game.

But the wait is over and today we’re enjoying a different kind of meltdown. It’s National Grilled Cheese Day!

Since I first started the blog, April has heralded the arrival of one of my favorite themed months: Grilled Cheese Month. See for yourself and check out my other grilled cheese recipes here. This year I’m thrilled to be partnering with Arla to share recipes featuring their cheeses and we’re starting things off with a cheesy classic: grilled cheese sandwiches of course!

This recipe all started with “the pull”. No, not tractor pulls. Not the pull of the moon either.

We’re talking about the determining factor of every perfectly made grilled cheese. It’s “the pull” of melty, gooey cheese when two halves are divided from one.

And this recipe has what it takes to get “the pull” every time.

continue to the recipe… about Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Crispy on the bottom but moist on the inside, this easy skillet cornbread is kicked up with jalapeños, creamed corn, cheddar cheese and green onions, and is a family favorite.

You know how they say owners start to resemble their dogs—as evidenced here—I think the same thing may be happening to me, but with the food I eat.

Spicy and sweet…Yep, that’s me. Crispy on the outside but soft on the inside…Sure, I’ll admit to that. And, why yes, I do melt every time I come into contact with butter.

Just like the food I like to eat, I’m a contradiction in terms.

I’ve become a spicy-sweet, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, better-with-butter humanoid version of…cornbread.

So does this mean I need to turn my bed into a cast iron skillet?

continue to the recipe… about Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese and How to Take an Epic Grilled Cheese Photo

Grilled cheese sandwiches are probably one of the easiest, most classic sandwich recipes ever invented. Taking a photo of one is sometimes another story.

You know how the recipe goes: 2 slices of cheese, two slices of bread, 2 slathers of sweet butter. Seriously, can comfort food really get any better? Okay, maybe when dipped in homemade tomato soup, but that’s kind of a given.

Then you have us recipe makers who just can’t seem to leave well enough alone. We simply cannot just make a simple grilled cheese.

We get all inspired and load on stuff like bacon, lobster, strawberries and definitely avocado. Sometimes they’re even healthified with trendy foodie ingredients like kale and shiitake mushrooms or begging-for-5-napkins-or-more buffalo chicken.

And that’s where the fun really begins.

continue to the recipe… about Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese and How to Take an Epic Grilled Cheese Photo

Spicy Fish Tacos

Family and food. They go together like butter and biscuits. It’s what every foundation of every civilization is built upon. To sit down to a meal, with forks in position and a wealth of new and old stories to tell.

I too often forget how much I love these simple dinners with the whole gaggle of extended family about. I have to remind myself it really isn’t that hard to send a text, give a call and have someone bring the salsa and chips, someone else grab a dessert.

Because we all want to be involved. It’s half the fun. Especially when everyone else digs in and starts doing the dishes. Best part ever.

So to prep for Cinco de Mayo and test out some new recipes on our loved ones aka guinea pigs, my man and I sent out the call and the flock arrived, ready to chow down on some scrumptious eats.

Basically I was just itching for an excuse to make these Spicy Fish Tacos.

Good news everyone! They received a table-full of hearty thumbs ups.

continue to the recipe… about Spicy Fish Tacos

Southwestern Vegetable Hash and Friday Faves

The weather is cooling down which makes my craving for a spicy breakfast heat up. And that means my hearty Southwest Vegetarian Hash is force to be reckoned with.

Fall sweaters, new skinny pants and way too high shooties (shoe/booties, how very clever of the shoe marketers) have led me to my desire to “do brunch.”

I’m all for taking this show on the road, as in to a great local restaurant where they do the cooking and I don’t have to.

But Smudge will have no part of it. She wants to eat at home. Who created this homebody?

So when we do, it’s time to eat farm to table as all of the trendy restaurant PR geeks have advised their restaurant clients to do. With seasonal ingredients in varying combos to switch up the daily routine.continue to the recipe… about Southwestern Vegetable Hash and Friday Faves

Thai Coconut Cauliflower

Spinach, I love. Broccoli, bring it on. But cauliflower? I can usually leave it at the kitchen door.

I’m DEFINITELY a late convert to this cruciferous’ fan club. So what made me cross the picket line? Well, it has to do with a favorite flavor addition which totally made my Thai Coconut Cauliflower a new fave.

Lately I’ve been in a Thai state of mind thanks to my Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup. But then any dish with coconut milk? Hello, lovely.

So when my husband pulled this recipe out of his…um…thin air, I was like, WHA? WHA?

Me eat cauliflower? Okay, maybe. If its coated with melted cheese.

continue to the recipe… about Thai Coconut Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic and Pickled Jalapeño Guacamole

How many times have you heard it? You know the phrase, the not-so-very-much-original one we all say because it’s just so perfectly descriptive.

You know it. Come on, say it with me. Think it. Live it: “Hoooooooly Guacamole.”

Okay it’s a little trite, but so true. Guacamole is the ultimate dipper, topper, finger licker. Cinco de Mayo by now is in the holiday back seat but with summer’s festivities on the bright lights horizon, there’s so many more reasons to kick back and “dip-toe through the tortilla chips.” Okay, that was a stretch but let’s just roll with it.

photo via Garlic Girl’s Instagram

My recipe for Roasted Garlic and Jalapeño Guacamole is a riff on a recipe created at this spring’s Big Traveling Potluck by Jodi of Garlic Girl, Des of Life’s Ambrosia and Melba of Out a Thyme, the ladies who stole the show and won the Best Tasting Recipe award at the Guacamole Challenge we all competed in. It was a friendly competition. That said, there may have been some tears shed when the winner was announced and my team didn’t win.

We were CONVINCED we were shoe-ins with mango and bacon in our version of guacamole. We were wrong.continue to the recipe… about Roasted Garlic and Pickled Jalapeño Guacamole

Dessert Nachos with Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salsa

This is the thing I like about nachos. If you agree, you’re invited to the party. If you don’t, I’ll be the first to pass along an elementary-style lunch tray to ensure all of your primary food groups stay at arm’s length of one another.

Nachos. They’re layers upon layers of my favorite tastes. A little bit of salt, a lot of spice, maybe a little bit of protein—if I’m feeling the urge to act like a well-rounded adult—all blanketed in cheese, aka the glue that melds this flavor bomb together.

Last week I asked my friends on Facebook for help on what recipe they wanted to see this week: spring pasta or salsa? By the looks of today’s post I think you can see which dish came out as the clear winner.

The confirmation that this recipe was the clear winner came from my Smudge who declared it would had judiciously been added to her birthday party menu. This is serious stuff folks. Maybe it received this exclusive validation because she had become invested in the recipe as my scribe, studiously practicing her cursive skills as I dictated the ingredients and portions. By the way, I DO know there is no “t” in avocado. Most of the time. Can you even tell the difference between my handwriting and a 3rd graders? Aye—yi—yi. Scary.

Cinco de Mayo is on the calendar for this weekend’s celebrations replete with menus full of chunky guacamole, tacos (you gotta try this fried avocado version), enchiladas and a serious round of salsa. I thought about adding to the Mexican madness by recreating a standard savory affair, but headed off on a bender, pointed South and conquered the sweeter side of the border, thanks to mangos in my refrigerator in dire need of a destination resulting in this Mango, Strawberry and Avocado Salsa.

continue to the recipe… about Dessert Nachos with Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salsa

Things Aren’t Always What They Seem to Be: Sticky Glazed Asian Ham

As I was driving home from teaching class one of the past Tuesday nights of one of the past months since last September, my mind wandered as I zoned in and out, listening to my favorite part of my Tuesday night teaching gig—Tuesday Night Takeover with Karamea, her songlist is “the jam” as the kids say these days.

Per usual, my thoughts drifted to and fro about blogging. Not necessarily my blog, or even food blogs, but blogs in general.

And I had an epiphanie. Or a comparison, rather, about what blogs are like.

Some of you may be single, looking for that new special somebody. What does a girl or guy have to do these days to meet somebody new?

Date someone from work? Not always the best idea. If things go south you either need to find a new job or walk past one another with eyes averted as you secretly spy on the flirting going on with the new temp.

At a bar? The classic hook up, but unless you’re under 25, what you remember as a cute and flirty scene quickly devolves to desperation.

Which has led many singles to online dating sites. Match, e-Harmony, etc., we’ve all heard encouraging stories of relationships that have blossomed from screen time to snuggle time.

But first there’s that suffering vetting process. Screening through candidates and their life stories of roses and unicorns. Why yes of course he’s 6’3” with a chiseled jaw, a great job and no baggage, why wouldn’t he be single? Look at that perfectly poised photo and read those disarmingly witty texts he sends. And then you meet in real life, only to discover what really lies at the belly of the beast isn’t nearly as engaging or real as his onscreen persona.

And that’s where I found the comparison. Blogs are a lot like dating sites.continue to the recipe… about Things Aren’t Always What They Seem to Be: Sticky Glazed Asian Ham

Corn and Potato with Jalapeno Soup and a Friday Faves Giveaway

Oh man do I have the travel bug. Ever since spending New Years in Mexico and being spoiled rotten with sunshine on my shoulders and warm sand under my toes, I’ve been trolling the travel sites looking for our next destination.

Finally, a vacation is almost here. Vegas for spring break is in my sites. We won’t be hanging out with the MTV crowd flaunting our bikinis and trying to not—cough, cough—show off our naughty parts as if we were Hollywood elite. No, this will be a family vacation all about the 8 year olds and finding the sunshine. I can’t wait to reprise last year’s Easter poolside fun, daily $2.99 breakfast buffet chow-down and a Vegas ramen eating rampage.

With a fresh snowfall today and more on it’s way for the weekend—I’m certainly ready for spring weather but I’ll happily take a few more spring ski days—this recipe for Corn and Potato with Jalapeño Soup is the perfect transition from winter into spring. It’s not too heavy yet has just enough spice with chunky potatoes and corn to add some bite to the soup’s slurpability leading up to your Easter brunch.

Enough about me, what’s on your Easter agenda? Not sure yet? Well the giveaway below should be.

So let’s get right to our Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Corn and Potato with Jalapeno Soup and a Friday Faves Giveaway

Mango Gazpacho with Quick Pickled Shrimp Plus 5 Fruity Recipes

He’s on a diet and in his book that means one thing. Soup for dinner. But every night?

Soup is my man’s default meal when he wants to drop a few lbs. and with his band’s final reunion gig just around the corner, he’s definitely made the commitment to come out strong and looking gooood. He’s even switched from his beloved Sierra Nevadas to light beer. HORRORS!

Thus his creativity in the kitchen has taken a nose dive. And since I’m not a big fan of soup in a can I had to take things into my own hands.

A week or so ago Smudge requested that I get her some mangoes. Wow, okay, that’s pretty adventuresome for her since mangoes are a fruit we don’t generally keep in our regular arsenal. I was impressed at the request and shot down to Costco to pick a jumbo size pack.

Why. Did. I. Do. That?

Long story short, it wasn’t fresh mango she wanted. Oh no, she wanted DRIED mango. Ah-ha! Fine then.

So what do I do with all of these mangoes? When life gives you mangoes, make mango gazpacho.continue to the recipe… about Mango Gazpacho with Quick Pickled Shrimp Plus 5 Fruity Recipes

Friday Faves and a Craving for Pickled Jalapeños

The jalapeños made me do it.

This past New Years Eve we were celebrating at my friend Mandy’s house, doing those things that people do on that auspicious night. Everyone brought a little something to nosh on and there was quite the spread to complement the flowing toasts and the Santa-inspired-karaoke caroling going on in the other room.

So we ate, we sang and then the secret weapon came out.

As the others were piling chicken wings and side salads to their plates, Mandy pulled me aside and with a devious grin and flashed the goods: her famous Pickled Jalapeños.

She was sharing her last bottle from her secret stash with me. We were like two 6 year olds hoarding our Halloween candy in the hall closet as we hid from any lurking siblings.

And then things took a nasty turn. continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and a Craving for Pickled Jalapeños

10 Top Tomatillo Recipes and Roasted Tomatillo and Green Olive Salsa

I don’t know why but within one day I’ve become surrounded by the soon-to-be-wedded.

I spent part of last week watching a wedding photography seminar as I worked along on my computer. The week before I was at a wedding fashion shoot. And I’ve been working with my bridal editor at my day job on our upcoming editorial calendar. Did this cloak of weddingness suddenly spread to those around me?

I had to wonder because…

This past weekend we had a great friend from our old hood in Venice visiting us. And he brought his girlfriend. To pop the big question.

A semi-confirmed bachelor, our friend finally realized it was okay to let go of the trepidation of vacating his non-committed life. On Sunday, at 11,000 feet on a nearby mountain top he took to bended knee and proposed as I snapped away.

He’s finally getting married? How can this be? He’s spent his life looking out for number one, while always on the lookout for number two, three or four. None of whom could measure up to the perfect partner mystery ideal.

But he changed. Once he opened up enough to let her in she far exceeded his expectations.continue to the recipe… about 10 Top Tomatillo Recipes and Roasted Tomatillo and Green Olive Salsa

Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Wow, what a week its been. And before I can even think of digging into one of my favorite recipes, I have to say thanks. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This week Maria and I launched Cookie Cravings, Two Peas and Their Pod’s first foray into the cookbook arena and another publishing adventure for me. We both agree its been such a rewarding project to create and finally share with our readers.

So again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you for your amazing feedback and support; I can finally uncross my fingers and toes thanks to the digital delivery process going off without a hitch. If you haven’t already, visit my cookbook page for all of the cookie details.

continue to the recipe… about Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp